When Was The Last Time…

A couple of weeks ago I came across this very simple, yet powerful question.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

For some reason it really struck me. It made it me think… when was the last time?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Than I thought about how sometimes doing or trying something for the first time can change or impact your life. You can meet someone new, discover a talent you didn’t know you had or even find a new path in life.

The question sat there in my head over the following days and out of the blue an opportunity, a chance to do something for the first time presented itself to me.

A neighbor of mine just recently started playing guitar again and was performing at a great local beer garden for their open mic night. I mentioned that I love to sing and ,viola, I was all of sudden singing back up to a couple of Beatles song for open mic.

Now I have performed many times in life but in the realm of musicals, choirs, theater and opera. I had never performed at an open mic, where you are more of a musician. What I mean is that I would be singing as Sonia not as a character, it feels a little more vulnerable. While it wasn’t entirely new it was still in a new setting and environment with new people.

So I did it and I am really glad I did. I can now answer that question – “The last time I did something for the first time was on October 2, 2012”

But the most beautiful moment of the evening wasn’t me doing something for the first time but witnessing someone else doing it.

A lovely, young lady, she couldn’t have been older that 19, got up on the stage, with her guitar in her hand, as nervous as nervous could be and performed two songs. The whole time you could see she was nervous, working through her fears; the dry mouth, the shaky hands, the loss of breath.

But you know what SHE DID IT!

It was the first time she ever even sang into a microphone, let alone in front of a crowd. Everyone in the bar cheered so loudly for her when she finished.

Seeing that, being a part of that first experience that was hers was special. We have all been there, in her shoes, so why do we stop? And why do we forget that more often than not, others around us, even strangers will cheer us on?

“When was the first time you did something for the first time?”

I realize that this question is exactly what I admire…it is always trying something new; exploring and discovering things about yourself or the world that you may have not known before.

Many times I believe we hold ourselves back from trying new things out of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, even fear of success.

When an opportunity to try something new presents itself and if it aligns with who you are, even if it scares you a little bit, go for it. And I don’t think there has to be any rules to it. It may not be entirely brand spanking new but perhaps it is a new twist or new introduction.

So this question taught me two things. One, try new things as often as possible and two, don’t let your fears keep you from doing them because you never know where it will lead too.